Discussion
I unplugged various engine sensors while I was cleaning the engine today (ignition off) and now it won't idle, although of course it could be something else. I have been meaning to get a fault code reader for a while anyway. I see Steve Heath does the ECUMate and the ECU light, they look good. For anyone who has used them, is it worth going for the better version. To be honest I am probably only going to be using it to check fault codes but is the extra functionality worth paying double for?
FactBV said:
I unplugged various engine sensors while I was cleaning the engine today (ignition off) and now it won't idle, although of course it could be something else. I have been meaning to get a fault code reader for a while anyway. I see Steve Heath does the ECUMate and the ECU light, they look good. For anyone who has used them, is it worth going for the better version. To be honest I am probably only going to be using it to check fault codes but is the extra functionality worth paying double for?
You might want to look again as the entry level fault code reader has just been upgraded: it is still a standalone fault code reader but it also has a RoverGauge compatible USB lead built in. Use it standalone to see if there are any fault codes and if there are get the laptop out. The new unit actually checks the connection is working before letting the laptop connect so it hopefully removes many of the problems. The full blown ECUmate doesn't need a laptop and can be read easily in sunlight. It displays data in multiple ways so setting up Tpots is easy as it shows voltages as well as percentages. It also has internal time stamping to ensure that the data is actually related and performs additional data validation checks. Its update rate is as fast as the ECU can supply data which means it catches faults/problems that RoverGauge doesn't.
shpub said:
FactBV said:
I unplugged various engine sensors while I was cleaning the engine today (ignition off) and now it won't idle, although of course it could be something else. I have been meaning to get a fault code reader for a while anyway. I see Steve Heath does the ECUMate and the ECU light, they look good. For anyone who has used them, is it worth going for the better version. To be honest I am probably only going to be using it to check fault codes but is the extra functionality worth paying double for?
You might want to look again as the entry level fault code reader has just been upgraded: it is still a standalone fault code reader but it also has a RoverGauge compatible USB lead built in. Use it standalone to see if there are any fault codes and if there are get the laptop out. The new unit actually checks the connection is working before letting the laptop connect so it hopefully removes many of the problems. The full blown ECUmate doesn't need a laptop and can be read easily in sunlight. It displays data in multiple ways so setting up Tpots is easy as it shows voltages as well as percentages. It also has internal time stamping to ensure that the data is actually related and performs additional data validation checks. Its update rate is as fast as the ECU can supply data which means it catches faults/problems that RoverGauge doesn't.
I’ve been trying out a pre-production version of Steve Heath’s upgraded version of the Ecumate Lite fault code reader which has the hardware built in to link the laptop to the RoverGuage software. The unit can also read the ECU link independently of the laptop by plugging it into a separate power supply, eg the cigarette lighter, using a suitable USB adaptor. This means you can do a quick check for any fault codes without having to plug in a laptop. It also reports more fault codes than the RoverGuage software ie the full range of 88 which can be reported by the ECU. Have a look here www.ecumate.com for more information.
I tried it out on my V8S (pre-CAT) and it worked as designed with no issues in both independent and via RoverGauge modes. There were some historic fault codes which RoverGauge couldn’t clear but which we were able to clear using Steve’s other piece of kit, ie the ECUmate (see “Sprint” from June 2012 for full details).
I also tried it out on a mate’s 5.0L Griff and again it worked as designed both independently and via RG.
Steve’s box and connection are designed to make connecting to the RG software as easy as possible and whilst it’s not quite idiot proof it is pretty much as near as dam it. All I needed to do was tell RG to connect to the relevant comm port (RG options – edit settings) and then the connection worked perfectly. (If there’s still an issue refresh the comm ports in device manager).
Apart from the historic error codes on mine, neither car reported any current error codes – which was good for us! I’d definitely recommend it.
Incidentally, the full blown ECUmate is an excellent piece of kit which provides a comprehensive interrogation of the ECU. I wish I’d had either of these units last year when I have a series of interconnected issues on my V8S which took me weeks to track down.
In summary, the ECUmate Lite is a great piece of kit to have and the interconnectivity with RoverGauge makes the information easy to read off for someone like me who doesn’t want to have to pay a garage to do a lot of expensive fault finding. If you’re looking to do some serious diagnostic work on your ECU though then go for its big brother.
I tried it out on my V8S (pre-CAT) and it worked as designed with no issues in both independent and via RoverGauge modes. There were some historic fault codes which RoverGauge couldn’t clear but which we were able to clear using Steve’s other piece of kit, ie the ECUmate (see “Sprint” from June 2012 for full details).
I also tried it out on a mate’s 5.0L Griff and again it worked as designed both independently and via RG.
Steve’s box and connection are designed to make connecting to the RG software as easy as possible and whilst it’s not quite idiot proof it is pretty much as near as dam it. All I needed to do was tell RG to connect to the relevant comm port (RG options – edit settings) and then the connection worked perfectly. (If there’s still an issue refresh the comm ports in device manager).
Apart from the historic error codes on mine, neither car reported any current error codes – which was good for us! I’d definitely recommend it.
Incidentally, the full blown ECUmate is an excellent piece of kit which provides a comprehensive interrogation of the ECU. I wish I’d had either of these units last year when I have a series of interconnected issues on my V8S which took me weeks to track down.
In summary, the ECUmate Lite is a great piece of kit to have and the interconnectivity with RoverGauge makes the information easy to read off for someone like me who doesn’t want to have to pay a garage to do a lot of expensive fault finding. If you’re looking to do some serious diagnostic work on your ECU though then go for its big brother.
v8s4me said:
I’ve been trying out a pre-production version of Steve Heath’s upgraded version of the Ecumate Lite fault code reader which has the hardware built in to link the laptop to the RoverGuage software. The unit can also read the ECU link independently of the laptop by plugging it into a separate power supply, eg the cigarette lighter, using a suitable USB adaptor. This means you can do a quick check for any fault codes without having to plug in a laptop. It also reports more fault codes than the RoverGuage software ie the full range of 88 which can be reported by the ECU. Have a look here www.ecumate.com for more information.
I tried it out on my V8S (pre-CAT) and it worked as designed with no issues in both independent and via RoverGauge modes. There were some historic fault codes which RoverGauge couldn’t clear but which we were able to clear using Steve’s other piece of kit, ie the ECUmate (see “Sprint” from June 2012 for full details).
I also tried it out on a mate’s 5.0L Griff and again it worked as designed both independently and via RG.
Steve’s box and connection are designed to make connecting to the RG software as easy as possible and whilst it’s not quite idiot proof it is pretty much as near as dam it. All I needed to do was tell RG to connect to the relevant comm port (RG options – edit settings) and then the connection worked perfectly. (If there’s still an issue refresh the comm ports in device manager).
Apart from the historic error codes on mine, neither car reported any current error codes – which was good for us! I’d definitely recommend it.
Incidentally, the full blown ECUmate is an excellent piece of kit which provides a comprehensive interrogation of the ECU. I wish I’d had either of these units last year when I have a series of interconnected issues on my V8S which took me weeks to track down.
In summary, the ECUmate Lite is a great piece of kit to have and the interconnectivity with RoverGauge makes the information easy to read off for someone like me who doesn’t want to have to pay a garage to do a lot of expensive fault finding. If you’re looking to do some serious diagnostic work on your ECU though then go for its big brother.
Thanks for taking the time to write that up, really helpful. I have ordered the ECU mate. I think that it will earn its keep over a period of time. It might also help me to understand a little more about the 14CUX system. If it is anything like Steve's book or bonnet stay for example, I am sure that it will be well thought out and very useful. I tried it out on my V8S (pre-CAT) and it worked as designed with no issues in both independent and via RoverGauge modes. There were some historic fault codes which RoverGauge couldn’t clear but which we were able to clear using Steve’s other piece of kit, ie the ECUmate (see “Sprint” from June 2012 for full details).
I also tried it out on a mate’s 5.0L Griff and again it worked as designed both independently and via RG.
Steve’s box and connection are designed to make connecting to the RG software as easy as possible and whilst it’s not quite idiot proof it is pretty much as near as dam it. All I needed to do was tell RG to connect to the relevant comm port (RG options – edit settings) and then the connection worked perfectly. (If there’s still an issue refresh the comm ports in device manager).
Apart from the historic error codes on mine, neither car reported any current error codes – which was good for us! I’d definitely recommend it.
Incidentally, the full blown ECUmate is an excellent piece of kit which provides a comprehensive interrogation of the ECU. I wish I’d had either of these units last year when I have a series of interconnected issues on my V8S which took me weeks to track down.
In summary, the ECUmate Lite is a great piece of kit to have and the interconnectivity with RoverGauge makes the information easy to read off for someone like me who doesn’t want to have to pay a garage to do a lot of expensive fault finding. If you’re looking to do some serious diagnostic work on your ECU though then go for its big brother.
This gives me a little laugh, as the early revisons of RoverGauge had a couple of minor glitches that Steve picked up on, so it was greatly improved by the developer, and the latest version is a really good (released this week) with additional idle status display for those raised idle issues- So if you cant beat them, join them methinks. 
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